Things I am grateful for...

I truly have so many things to be grateful for, but I thought I would just share one tonight. James, the kids, and I stopped by Mom and Dad's on our way home from the Bountiful Cemetery where we spent the better part of the evening with the family visiting Lamont's graveside. Mom and Dad weren't able to make it to the Cemetery because Dad was having a bad day and for some reason I just felt like I needed to see him tonight. It was late, just after 9:00pm, but I couldn't help but feel compelled to go in.

Mom and Dad were downstairs watching the movie "Rhapsody". It is one of my Dad's very favorite movies and he has probably seen it over a hundred times. In all my years I had never sat down to watch this movie with him. It is an older movie starring Elizabeth Taylor and it has the most beautiful music in it. The story centers around two musicians, a concert violinist and a concert pianist. Elizabeth Taylor chases after the self-centered violinist who is not interested in her and rejects the pianist who is completely devoted to her. Silly girl... Anyway, as I sat and watched this movie with my Dad, who was in so much pain, I was so grateful to share this moment with him. How many times had a let that moment pass before now?? I was so grateful to listen to the beautiful and transcendent music that my father loves so much. It is the music that fills his mind and brings him peace. It was so late, past 11:00pm, and my sweet baby was crying and wanting to go to bed, but I couldn't help but want the movie to last forever. I didn't want it to end or the moment to ever pass.

As I lingered just a little bit longer after the movie was over, Dad told me about the first time he saw "Rhapsody". He told me that in 1954 he was stationed at the Yokota Air Base, twenty miles north of Tokyo, Japan while he was in the Air Force. He told me that he saw the movie over 5 times in the theater when it came out that year. He paid just $.25 to see it. Even then, over 50 years ago, he was captured by the inspired music and simply loved it. Wow! I didn't know that about my Dad. How exciting to share with him a little piece of himself and of his history.

For this beautiful movie and this beautiful night, I am sincerely grateful.